This Gluten Free Berry Cobbler recipe gives you a little something sweet and still allows you to ditch the sugar in your diet. While also keeping your blood sugar in balance.
But… Why should we be ditching sugar? And.. Why is it important to keep our blood sugar in balance?
Let me explain.
What does Sugar, Fat and the 80’s Have in Common?
We have a sugar epidemic happening in our country.
It’s not new. It started in the 80’s. We went through this phase in our country where “fat was bad”. And it was recommended to take all the dietary fats out of our diets. Yes, all of it! Even the good fats like avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, butter, animal fat, and olive oil.
When this happened, the processed food industry made a massive shift. They developed fat free and low fat foods. But when the food manufacturers took the fat out of their processed foods, the foods didn’t taste very good and the “mouth-feel” was off. So to make the foods more palatable, the manufacturers had to increase the sugar and food chemical ingredients to improve the taste of the foods.
(This really happens in all processed foods. Take a look at a label when you get a chance. When fat is removed, sugar gets added. Yogurt is a good example of this. Compare the whole fat, low fat and no fat versions.)
So with the new low fat food trends, the marketing and labeling all changed. Food packages everywhere stated “Fat Free” or “Zero Grams of Fat!” or “Low Fat!” (we actually still see packages like this today). Even whole foods like vegetables and fruit started to be labeled this way (which is ridiculous!).
When this happened processed foods became much, much higher in sugar. And much higher in food chemicals. The ingredient lists also got longer than we have ever seen.
This was also when high fructose corn syrup was introduced.
And… we simultaneously became a country that focused more on “meals of convenience”. We began cooking less, and eating more “easy” processed foods.
And… this was around the time when the misinformation around Hormone Replacement Therapy being unsafe came out as well.
I often think of women in the ‘80s and 90’s being scared into losing their hormone replacement therapy, and then being scared into taking fat out of their diets! We need good fats to keep our brain healthy, our blood sugar balanced, our skin healthy… How did they keep their sanity? Oh goodness. I digress… this is a whole other article.
Let’s get back to it…
So as a nation, we ditched the fat in our diets, and then unknowingly ramped up the sugar in our diets. Even the messaging from our doctors and nurses was that fat was bad and linked to heart disease.
But was this true? Keep reading.
Was Fat Really The Bad Guy?
In the 80’s and 90’s we became a nation of eating no fat and low fat, but how did we get here?
Let’s go back to the 60’s for the short version of this story.
In the late 60’s the sugar industry sponsored three Harvard scientists to look at dietary fat and sugars’ effects on heart disease. There had been concern about sugar being linked to heart disease and the sugar industry was getting nervous.
Essentially what happened with this study, is that the sugar industry went on to influence the scientists monetarily to direct the findings of the study towards fat and cholesterol being linked to heart disease, and show that sugar was not an issue.
Said differently….Scientists were paid to say that dietary fat was bad.
The “findings” of this study linking dietary fat and cholesterol to heart disease spread widely. This then took the heat off of sugar being connected. And when these “findings” were published, the connection to the sugar industry was never mentioned in the journal.
Interestingly enough, one of these scientists went on to draft the initial US federal government dietary guidelines… you know… the food pyramid.
And then for decades, the sugar industry influenced the findings that fat was the bad guy.
But in reality it was sugar that was the real culprit when it came to heart disease.
This then shaped the food industry, the advice of our medical community, our federal guidelines and how we have eaten as a country for decades.
So let’s math that:
Sugar industry + Scientists = Fat bad
Processed foods + more sugar + food chemicals = a sugar epidemic
Sugar epidemic = a Metabolic epidemic
The Results Of No Fat, Low Fat And More Sugar
Because of this information campaign, our country eats more sugar today than ever before. The average American eats 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day. The average cola beverage has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it. And popular frappuccino type beverages can have anywhere from 11-20 teaspoons of sugar.
That is a TON of sugar.
And, our bodies can’t handle that much sugar. Sugar in those amounts causes metabolic dysfunction.
What is metabolic dysfunction?
Metabolic dysfunction to put it really simply is when we have too much sugar in our systems for our bodies to process. We then store the sugar as fat in our bodies.
This leads to metabolic syndrome which causes blood sugar imbalance, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, belly fat, obesity, high triglycerides, and type 2 diabetes.
Over 80% of people in the US have metabolic syndrome today. This is a staggering statistic.
What this really means is that 80% of people in our country are headed down the road to type 2 diabetes, and potentially heart or brain conditions.
And frankly I don’t know that we are saying this enough… But I think this can literally be traced back to the “fat is bad” defamation campaign of the 80’s. The more sugar that was introduced into our processed foods, the more we became addicted to the sugar, and the more desensitized we became to it. This is how the average American can eat 17 grams or more of sugar in a day and not notice the effects.
This sugar intake has consequences.
Let’s look at the list of symptoms, conditions and disease states that sugar consumption can be linked to.
Sugar can cause:
- Cravings, crashes and addiction
- Brain fog
- Inflammation
- Blood sugar imbalance
- Insulin resistance
- Dysglycemia
- Gut dysbiosis
- Weight gain
- Obesity
- High cholesterol & triglycerides
- High blood pressure
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Heart disease
- High Uric acid – kidney stones, and gout
- Prediabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
- Type 3 diabetes / Alzheimers
As you can see sugar can be linked to a host of long term issues that can deeply affect our longevity and quality of life. It’s really no joke.
But are we too far gone?
A Quick Version Of My Metabolic Story
When I went through perimenopause, my blood sugar became really fragile. It was confusing. I had to work really hard to keep it in balance. But it was a struggle. I thought I was doing all the right things, but I could tell my blood sugar was out of balance. I could feel it. I also started gaining weight, and quickly. I hadn’t changed how I was eating. I was eating mostly whole foods, and very little sugar. If I had sugar it was usually a little dark chocolate.
I talked to my functional practitioner about the struggles I was having with my blood sugar, and we did blood testing. But many of my blood test markers were “within range”. The issues I was having were not medically obvious.
I started to do a lot of research. I kept experimenting, and kept digging deeper.
When I was younger, I wasn’t the best at eating regular meals. I would skip breakfast, or sometimes forget to eat lunch. I even recall getting shaky at times (because my blood sugar was low). I wasn’t prioritizing protein then – I didn’t even understand why I would need too. I was eating more simple carbs. And likely wasn’t eating enough.
It took a lot of research, and a lot of time to figure out, but I finally was able to discern I was dealing with dysglycemia. Dysglycemia is essentially a broad term to mean blood sugar imbalance. And it can be a precursor to prediabetes. Yikes!
Dysglycemia isn’t something that is often dealt with medically (in my experience). It is kind of the messy middle of metabolic dysfunction.
I would also figure out through research, that the instability in my eating earlier in life created a long term pattern of blood sugar instability. Then, when I hit perimenopause, the loss of estrogen was like a double whammy to my blood sugar.
You see, estrogen is protective of our blood sugar. It helps keep our blood sugar in balance, and improves insulin sensitivity. Which in turn helps to keep our visceral fat low. Visceral fat is the fat that accumulates around the organs which can be detrimental to our health.
This blood sugar instability is a very common issue amongst perimenopausal women, but not commonly known, educated on or discussed.
Oh… And did I mention that stress can make all of this worse?
And.. gut dysbiosis and toxin exposure can also be factors!
So for me, I knew I didn’t feel good when I had sugar. But there were much deeper reasons why my blood sugar was out of balance… stress, loss of estrogen, and undiagnosed dysglycemia.
How Do We Keep Blood Sugar In Balance?
Keeping our blood sugar in balance is key to our longevity, keeping our weight balanced, our mood balanced, and our organs healthy. The good news is that blood sugar, insulin resistance, dysglycemia and prediabetes can all shift with attention and intention.
But as we discussed, sugar can be hidden everywhere.
So you have to be your own advocate. And, be ok with stepping out of the “normal” Standard American Diet. This can take some effort and work. But as I like to say… “You pick YOU.”
Here is a list of steps you can take to bring your blood sugar into balance and keep it there.
- Shop and eat from the perimeter of the grocery store –
This is the area with the vegetables, herbs, fruits, dairy (if you are not sensitive), eggs, and meats. The processed foods are in the middle of the grocery store. Focus on eating from the perimeter area with each of your meals. (Frozen veggies and fruits are ok too!) - Reduce or eliminate the processed foods that you are eating –
Start by kicking out the junk food and fast food. There really is no nutritional value here. - Read nutrition labels –
Anything in a package, read what you are eating. 4 grams of sugar is equal to 1 tsp of sugar. Notice how much sugar is in a particular food you are eating. Notice the ingredients, and upgrade your choices. - Focus on protein being the main part of your meal –
30-40 grams of protein per meal is ideal. And yes, even breakfast with this. The more you focus on protein. The more your cravings will disperse. - Eat good Fats –
Good fats are important to our brain health, to feel full, and to support our hormone production. Let’s skip the trans fats, and inflammatory fats that are in fried foods, and eat the good fats. Eat avocados, nuts, seeds, nut butters, grass fed butter, animal fat, olive oil, coconut oil - Kick out sugar –
Yep, kick it out! The more you introduce it, the more your body craves it. If you start with steps 1-4, then this will be much easier to do. - Take a short 10-15 minute walk after meals –
A walk after your meals allows the body to use the glucose from your meal as energy, and helps prevent it from spiking your blood sugar. If you can’t get a walk in, do a few sets of air-squats. And, if you can’t get multiple short walks in, then do a longer walk after your biggest meal of the day. Like 30-45 minutes. These actions help to prevent blood sugar spikes, and keep your blood sugar in balance. - Strength train 3x per week –
Lift as heavy, not the light weights, but lift heavy in the range of 3-6 reps. Of course, you can work your way up to this. - Find a practitioner to partner with –
The best way to know if your blood sugar is in balance, is to test and not guess. In my experience it’s been hard to find someone to support this messy middle of blood sugar instability, BUT don’t let that deter you. Be your own advocate and find someone that will get curious with you and explore your health. Your longevity relies on this!
Here are some guidelines on the testing for you.- Insulin 5.0 or below or you’ll be storing fat.
- Fasting Glucose – 80-95
- Hemoglobin A1c – 5.2-5.4 or ideally 5.3
- Triglycerides – under 100 or you’ll be storing fat
- Leptin – between 5-11 or you’ll be storing fat
- Add in a blood sugar balancing probiotic –
Gut health can be a big factor in your blood sugar stability. Add in a probiotic like Pendulum’s Glucose Control. You can save 15% with this link. - Listen to your body & listen to your intuition –
If you eat a certain “thing” and don’t feel good. Resist the urge to shame yourself, just notice this, and upgrade your choices next time. Success with change is a sequence of small efforts that add up to the big boon at the end. Keep going!
And.. if this list is overwhelming, or you just want support, because you KNOW that being accountable will help. Click the link below, and schedule your Root2Rise session. Support is my specialty.
Gluten Free Berry Cobbler
This Gluten Free Berry Cobbler is quick, easy and satisfying. It’s also sugar free, and uses just a little bit of stevia to sweeten it. And…it’s a great dessert option for peak berry season. It’s chock-full of raspberries and blueberries (although you could any berries to this). Berries are a great nutritional option, because they are rich in antioxidants, which means it protect cells form damage. They are also low on the glycemic index. Which means they are low in sugar, and won’t throw your blood sugar out of wack.
Gluten Free Berry Cobbler Recipe
10 Cups of Frozen Berries
(In this recipe I used about 7 Cups of Raspberries, and 3 Cups of Blueberries)
2 Tablespoons of cornstarch
4 Tablespoons water
1 dropper of NuNaturals Liquid Stevia
Crust
12 Tablespoons Butter – softened
1 1/2 Cups Gluten Free Oatmeal (I like this one as it doesn’t have glyphosate either)
1 dropper of NuNaturals Liquid Stevia
1/4 tsp of salt
- Pour the berries into a glass backing dish.
- Drop the stevia one drop of at a time into the berries.
- Pour the cornstarch into a small bowl.
- Whisk the water into the cornstarch until fully incorporated.
- Pour this mixture into the berries, and mix throughly.
To Make the Crust
- Add oats to a Cuisinart, and pulse off and on for about 30-60 seconds to break up the oats.
**You don’t have to this part, I just like the oats ground up, more like a flour. - Add one dropper of stevia, one drop at a time, and spread it around.
- Add softened butter, and blend until fully incorporated. It might gather into a clump or ball, this is ok.
- Take the ball/clump of oats and butter out, and with your hands, drop small clumps of the dough on the top of the berries. It will not cover the whole top. Just break it up spread out the clumps.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Take out and let cool to warm vs. hot.
- And serve!
Resources:
Sifferlin, A. (2016, September 12). How the Sugar Lobby Skewed Health Research. TIME. https://time.com/4485710/sugar-industry-heart-disease-research/
Domonoske, C. (2016, September 13). 50 years ago, sugar industry quietly paid scientists to point blame at fat. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074/50-years-ago-sugar-industry-quietly-paid-scientists-to-point-blame-at-fat
O’Connor, A. (n.d.). How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/well/eat/how-the-sugar-industry-shifted-blame-to-fat.html
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**The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice from a qualified physician or other licensed healthcare provider. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, symptoms, or treatment options. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information you have read here. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, contact your doctor or emergency services immediately.